Department of Public Relations, Chandigarh Administration www.chandigarh.gov.in Press Note
Chandigarh February 24: Department of Cultural Affairs, UT, Chandigarh is going to organize Chandigarh Dance Festival from 25 to 28 February at Tagore Theater at 7 pm daily. The following groups will perform:-
25th February 2013 Performance by Ganesa Natyalaya of Guru Saroj Vaidyanathan from Delhi.
SAROJ VAIDYANATHAN Shrimati Saroj Vaidyanathan took her initial training in Bharatanayan under Shrimati Lalitha at the Saraswati Gana Nilayam in Chennai. She was later a student of the well known guru Kattumannar Muthukumaran Pillai of Thanjavur. She also studied Camatic music under Professor P. Sambamoorthy at Madras University and obtained a D.Litt in dance from the Indira Kala Sangeet Viswavidyalaya, khairagarh. Shrimati Saroj Vaidyanathan is well established today among the leading Bharatanayam teachers of the country. She is the founder director of Ganesa Natyalaya, a dance institution in Delhi where she has trained a large number of young dancers. Some of her students are among the leading artists of the younger generation. She is the recipient of seven honours including the Padma Shri given by the government of India in 2002 and recently she has been conerred with Padam Bhushan Award by Government of India.
26th February 2013 Performance by Gunjan Dance Academy of Ms. Meera Dass from Cuttack
MEERA DASS At a tender age of eight, Meera had started training with Bandha Nata, an extremely acrobatic dance form in Anandapur, Keonjhar, Orissa. Meera Das was mesmerized and her eyes filled a with new future, when she saw the Odissi dance performance of Smt. Sanjukta Panigrahi. What followed was a beautiful long stint at Odissi Centre and ever since, Meera has been disciple of Guru Sri Kelucharan Mohapatra. Meera has been a professional dance for fifteen years. Founder and Principal of Gunjan Dance Academy, Cuttack, the only school other than Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra’s dance school (Srajn) and Guru Gangadhar Pradhan dance school (Odissi Dance Academy) to get ICCR accreditation.
27th February 2013 Peformance by Lasya Centre for Dance Education and Research of Rajashree Shirke from Mumbai
RAJASHREE SHIRKE It is said that one lifetime is not enough to master the art of any single Indian Classical Dance style. Over the last three decades, Rajashree Shirke has mastered the two contrasting dance styles of Kathak and Bharatanatyam. Through a deep practical study, she captures in her performances, the technique and nuances of both these styles. Today, Rajashree Shirke is a Guru of high respect, a recognized theoretician, an acclaimed academician, a fames creative choreographer, a gifted writer and an awarded actor. She is the Founder and Principal of the Lasya Centre for Dance Education and Research, which is one of the few institutes in India to conduct University-certified Diploma courses in Kathak and Bharata Natyam Dance Styles. Currently she is engaged in researching the devotional poetry of Surdas within the Kathakar tradition of Kathak Dance, towards a PhD qualification.
28th February 2013: Performance by : Mamta Shankar ballet Troupe from Kaolkata:
MAMTA SHANKAR She is the daughter of legendary dancers Uday Shankar and Amala Shankar, and the niece of Pandit Ravi Shankar. She received her training in dance and choreography at the Uday Shankar India Culture Centre, Calutta under Amala Shankar. Mamta is married to Chandrodoy Ghosh and runs ‘Udayan Mamta Shankar Dance Compnay founded in 1986 which travels extensively throughout the world with the Mamta Shankar Ballet Troupe. She has acted in films by renowned film directors including, Satyajit Ray, Mirnal Sen, Rituparno Ghosh, Buddhadev Dasgupta and Gautam Ghosh. In addition to being an actress, she is adance and choreographer.
The passes are available at Tagore Theatre, Sector 18 as well as at Chandigarh Sangeet Natak Akademi, Sector 34, Chandigarh.